Misguided Journalism
by WeirdFelicia
Summary: Hatsune Miku is an aspiring journalist who must write a review of a shrine for the magazine she has just been hired to work for. In this project she will have to cooperate with Megurine Luka, her senpai and she will find herself remembering things about the past and relating them to the mystery surrounding the shrine. Slighly Miku x Luka
1. Chapter 1

Summer was close and Miku had just been hired as a journalist, she was a university freshman, so this was a great opportunity for her to gather experience. The first job she was assigned to do was to write a review about a Shinto shrine located in a village somewhere in Tokyo. Thus Miku packed her things and went on a journey. She put a white Lolita-like shirt on, a blue skirt and of course, her red glasses. While she was waiting at the train station, she took out her notebook and started taking notes about what she had done until now. She knew that this seemed kind of pointless but she figured out it might be useful eventually. Her senpai had already arrived in the village yesterday "you will cooperate with Megurine Luka in this project, she will be there one day before you to take care of the preparations" was what her boss told her. Miku didn't really know what preparations he was talking about but she felt kind of shy to ask. The girl approached the drink's machine and bought a cold chocolate milk, she inserted the straw in it and when it was about to touch her lips she looked at the clock and stopped. It was already four o'clock, the train was supposed to have arrived fifteen minutes ago, was there a delay? Miku suddenly felt insecure, she thought that maybe she wasn't meant to get to that shrine for some reason, but she just sighed and sat again, waiting for the train.

The train finally arrived, to Miku's relief. She got in and turned her Ipod on, she stared through the window and then she just started daydreaming… Upon arriving to the village, it was already evening, the train had been delayed one hour and Miku was hoping no one would scold her. She left the station and walked through a path in a bamboo forest until she reached some stairs that led to the shrine. Before doing anything she purified herself by washing her hands with sacred water that was kept in the shrine. After that, she kept walking until she met the priest who would keep them in the shrine as guests.

"Good evening" Miku said politely and timidly.

"Oh, good evening." Responded the priest, he seemed like a calm middle aged man.

"I'm sorry for arriving so late… the train was delayed and…" Miku tried to explain nervously.

"Oh, do not worry about that. Please come with me." The man guided Miku to the main gate of the shrine and then, they entered a small room.

"Megurine-san, your kohai has arrived." Said the priest.

"Nice to meet you." Miku bowed.

"Nice to meet you too." Answered Luka straightforwardly while she was sitting on the tatami. The room was small and slightly empty, there was a circular window a traditional wardrobe, a scroll which was hanging in the wall and also a paper lamp.

"You shall excuse me now." Said the priest. "I should let you talk about your job."

"Ah, yes!" said Miku surprised. "Thank you very much!" she bowed forming a right angle.

When the priest was gone Miku sat on the tatami in a polite position and Luka looked at her somehow coldly which made the girl feel really nervous and scared "Am I going to be scolded? Am I going to be scolded?" she kept thinking.

"You are late." Luka finally said.

"I'm very sorry, the train was delayed." Answered Miku nervously.

"Hmm… I see… Well, let me explain you the details… I believe the boss didn't bother to tell you anything." Said Luka kind of annoyed.

"Well… that's…" Miku didn't really know what to say so she just listened to Luka.

"Let's see, we're going to say here for one week. We are planning to write a review of this shrine and of other places of the village generally. The review will have to be at least ten pages long, including some stories that will explain our journey in detail. Moreover, we will also write about the traditional foods and the nature of the village. And oh! We also need to take photos." Luka explained while she was unpacking her things.

"Okay, umm… thank you very much, I will do my best." Answered Miku.

"Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you that we will be sharing this room."

"O… okay…"

Miku wasn't really used to sharing room with other people but she didn't really have any other option, furthermore Luka seemed like an interesting person to Miku, very concentrated in her job… Apart from that, she really reminded her of a girl she used to play with every summer, in her father's village, but one day when she was nine, Tako-chan (which was how Miku called the girl) disappeared. Maybe Miku should ask her about that but, she felt too shy to do that right now and also she didn't remember Tako-chan to be such a cold girl…

"Wh… what should we do now?" Miku asked shyly.

"Oh well, what do you want to do? We don't really have something to do today." Responded Luka as she was reading some book she had just taken out of her bag.

"Umm… I don't really know…" Answered Miku and after that there was a long awkward silence, though the only who felt awkward was probably Miku, as Luka was reading her book calmly.

"Umm… excuse me… what are you reading, Megurine-senpai?" Miku intented to start a conversation, Luka lifted her head and looked at Miku.

"Oh, this!" Luka pointed at her book. "It's about some urban legends about spirits and such, I figured out I should get inspired, maybe we could include something like that in our magazine."

"Oh… and… umm… wouldn't it be rude to make up rumors of the shrine?" Asked Miku curious.

"We're not going to make them up; we're going to look for clues." Luka was looking at her book again.

"Oh, I see…Well… I'll go out for a while…" After that Miku got up and left the room.

That was the only moment Luka really stopped paying attention to her book and looked at the door that Miku had just closed. Luka, after thinking about it for some seconds, decided to follow Miku and thus she opened the door and reached Miku.

"Wait, where are you going?" Asked Luka slightly surprised.

"Umm… well… I'm not sure…" Responded Miku, even more surprised to see Luka showing interest in her.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me then?" Asked Luka with an emotionless expression, or maybe extremely confident, Miku couldn't really tell which one of the two it was.

"Where are we going?" Miku asked after accommodating her glasses.

"We're going to explore the forest." She could have sworn hearing a hint of excitement in Luka's voice.

Miku followed Luka silently, she wasn't able to utter a word, however she kept observing her surroundings and analyzing every single detail she saw. They went down the stairs and crossed the toori* (*kind of gate found in Shinto shrines). After that they entered a bamboo forest, it was late, so it was quite dark.

"You'll be able to see the fireflies here; we should take some photos when they appear, I think." Remarked Luka with a smile and Miku thought that it was the first time she actually saw Luka smile.

"Yes, I'll do my best." Miku smiled too. At that moment both girls looked at each other in the eyes and smiled… then suddenly the Earth started shaking and they looked towards the shrine which was covered with a red cloud.


	2. Chapter 2

Luka looked at the sky surprised, Miku was speechless and then the cloud suddenly disappeared as if nothing had happened. The Earth stopped shaking and Luka asked in a serious tone.

Miku-chan, did you take a photo of that?

Yes, ma'am! – responded Miku a little bit anxious.

Let me see it.

Miku handed the camera to Luka, and the older girl looked at the photo. Indeed, there was a red cloud covering the shrine, but where did that come from? Was it perhaps some kind of physical phenomenon?

So it's really true after all… - remarked Luka.

Yes… umm… Megurine-senpai… I think that maybe we should ask the priest about it.

Yes, let's go, hurry. – Luka took Miku's hand and run towards the stairs.

They got back to the shrine, both of them panting. They entered the shrine and then the priest appeared. He looked at them surprised.

Is there something wrong? – He asked.

Oh, didn't you see it? There was a red cloud outside, just now… - Said Luka.

Sorry, I was inside all this time… - Responded the priest.

I see, sorry for alarming you, good night. – Luka bowed.

G… good night. – Miku bowed too, but lower than Luka did.

Good night girls, see you tomorrow. – Said the priest.

As the girls were heading to their room, there was a mysterious silent aura in the shrine. It seemed so bizarre, everything was just too normal after that appearance of the red cloud.

So no else saw it… - Miku finally said shyly.

Maybe it's better like that. – Answered Luka a bit indifferently. – Well, this is beneficial for us; you took a photo, right? It could become a hit… ah, don't forget to write notes in your diary about it, okay? – continued Luka.

Yes, umm…

What is it? – Asked Luka as she opened the door of the room.

Aren't these things too strange to be ignored like that? – Miku asked after entering in the room and sitting down.

Hmph… I don't really care as long as we can write articles about them… - Luka responded straightforwardly.

Umm… and… don't they make you feel curious?

Hmm… I don't know, should they?

They shouldn't?! – Miku thought confused.

Luka looked at her and then she looked at the ceiling, indifferently, then she laid in the tatami* (*a tatami is a Japanese made of rice straw). She took out a notebook from her bag and started making notes. Miku felt baffled, she didn't know how to talk to Luka anymore, or how to have a conversation with her, all Luka cared about was writing articles. Sure Miku liked it too, but didn't Luka like doing anything else?

Well she reads books too, I guess… She might play videogames as well… - Miku thought, but those thoughts seemed meaningless. On the other hand Luka didn't seem bothered at all by the awkward silence.

Indeed Luka was completely different from Tako-chan, maybe she was just someone who looked exactly like her… After all, Miku didn't know Tako-chan's real name, so there was no way of knowing if it really was her. Well, there was the option of asking her, but Miku didn't really want to do that, because she thought she would just make a fool of herself and Luka didn't seem to care about her either.

Hey, Miku come here! – Miku recalled the eleven year old Tako-chan calling her. They would always play hide and seek in the river and then they would talk about each other's stories.

Then an idea suddenly came to Miku's mind: she could ask indirect questions to find out if Megurine Luka was really Tako-chan!

Umm… Megurine-senpai?

Miku-chan, did you write your notes? – "Uhh… why does Megurine-senpai always have to think about her job" thought Miku frustrated.

Not yet… I'm sorry…

You must do so before you go to sleep.

O… okay… - Miku was getting kind of annoyed, Luka was slightly bossy actually.

Oh, wait did you want something? – Luka suddenly asked and Miku felt a shimmer of hope in her heart. – Did you want to ask me anything about what you should write in your diary? – Miku's hopes turned into ashes, but then again, she didn't really know what these notes were about, because they didn't seem to be the actual article.

Well… yes… that too but… - Miku said hesitantly.

Well, in your diary you just have to write some ideas, it's not like you have to write much things. – Luka interrupted Miku before she could say anything "Was Megurine-senpai writing "just some ideas" all this time?!" thought Miku.

Umm… were you writing just some ideas all this time? – asked Miku really curious.

No, didn't you see that I took another notebook out of my bag? – "What had that to do with anything?" – This is my actual diary. – Luka finally said and Miku felt relieved to hear something that wasn't related to writing articles.

Oh, I didn't know you wrote a diary…

Of course you wouldn't we have just met. – Luka responded indifferently and that pierced Miku's heart who felt more discouraged than ever.

B… by the way… - Miku regained her composure. – How old are you, Megurine-senpai?

Twenty-one, how about you? – No, it couldn't be, Luka was the same age as Tako-chan, even their voices were similar, Miku was almost certain this girl had to be Tako-chan… unless… she had a tween sister. But, Miku wouldn't ask her no matter what.

I'm eighteen…

Hmm… I see… Well it's time to sleep. – Said Luka while still writing in her notebook, why wouldn't she just stop reading or writing while talking to someone? – We have to wake up early tomorrow.

Okay… - Miku didn't like to go to sleep early and she felt kind of disappointed that she had to do so.

Luka got up, she closed her notebook and put it back in her bag, she also put her expensive pen in the bag, it was a brown military styled bag. The girl opened the wardrobe and for once, she didn't seem as calm as ever.

M… Miku-chan… th… there is just one futon… - She said nervously.

Umm… eh? You mean… - Miku thought about it again. – Eh?! N… no way! – Miku said unconsciously.

Don't yell, it's late Miku-chan.

Wh… what are we going to do, Megurine-senpai?

It's okay, I'll just sleep in the tatami, it's spring after all, it will be fine.

B… but I can't let you do that.

Do you want to sleep with me then? – Luka's calmness was completely regained by this moment.

No…

We can't tell the priest now, because it's too late…

This can't be happening… - Miku said really frustrated.

Then suddenly a cold wind blew, it came from the circular window, both girls turned and looked at it. Then they saw a shadow holding an umbrella, Luka approached the shadow and they saw it was an old lady.

Excuse me… - the old lady started.

Is there something I could help you with? – Asked Luka, slightly surprised.

Yes, you don't happen do have some amazake with you, don't you? – Asked the old lady.

In fact, I do… would you like some…? – Asked Luka even more surprised as Miku was listening curiously like a little girl.

Yes, please, I would be very grateful if you could give me some. – Said the old lady.

Yes, but I don't have a glass.

Oh, don't worry about that I have one. – The old lady showed the glass to Luka and she went back to her bag and took a bottle of amazake out of it, she then poured some into the lady's glass.

Oh, thank you very much; you don't know how much I appreciate this.

You are welcome, good night. – Luka said and sat in the tatami as Miku was looking at her a bit surprised, something bizarre had actually occurred after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Miku stared at Luka for some seconds until she finally decided to ask her about the incident that had just taken place.

"Umm… Megurine-Senpai…" she started "What… was that… just now…?"

"Hmmm…? An old lady, what else?" responded Luka indifferently, she didn't seem surprised by the fact actually.

"B… but… don't you think it's strange?" Asked Miku.

"Oh, that. I just wrote it in my notes, we might need it eventually." Luka didn't seem like she was going to communicate with Miku so the girl just took the futon out of the wardrobe and decided to go to sleep.

"You are going to sleep?" Asked Luka. Miku couldn't understand this, Luka ignored her all the time, but every time Miku gave up trying to talk to her, Luka would always say something. It was starting to become annoying. "Make sure to me some space for me." An emotionless voice interrupted Miku's thoughts, it was Luka's, as expected.

"Y… yes." Miku answered and tried to close her eyes and sleep but she couldn't. She would just keep staring at Luka while she was still taking notes, what on Earth was she writing there?!

"Megurine-senpai…" Miku finally said a bit pleading. "Are you not going to come to sleep?" Miku was unconsciously staring at Luka in a very penetrating manner, Luka blushed and answered:

"Yes, sure." She then got into the bed along with Miku and hugged her from behind.

"Ah! Eh?! Wha…-?!" Miku yelled in confusion.

"Hey, you are going to wake everyone up…" whispered Luka into Miku's ear, her heart was racing and she knew that Luka would realize that sooner or later, she had to do something; she had to do something or else…

"Hey, Miku-chan… what's up?"

"N… nothing" answered Miku shyly, Luka was still embracing her and she was trapped in her arms. "Why do we have to be like this?" asked Miku confused.

"No reason." Luka answered bluntly.

"Umm… but…" started Miku.

"No, "buts", now sleep." Interrupted Luka, Miku felt hopeless and decided to obey.

The next thing that Miku knew was that it was morning; she was awoken by the sound of the birds near the forest, it was a nice day, it smelled like summer, or at least that's how Miku thought about it. Strangely enough Luka was still asleep, by her side. Luka's face was red and she was almost panting, Miku looked at her for a moment and then touched her forehead, just to realize that she had a fever.

Miku-chan… I feel dizzy… - Luka said, it seemed that she wasn't actually sleeping.

Megurine-senpai? Do you feel alright? – Asked Miku worried.

No… I feel really sick… - Luka responded while she was breathing heavily.

Oh! Umm… I think you must have a fever… - Said Miku, a bit unsure.

Oh… that's really… bad… I'll have to rely on you to do the work for now…

No… I… can't do that… - Miku suddenly said, while she was looking at the white futon to avoid Luka's eyes.

But… why? Aren't you a journalist? – Luka looked away, slightly angry. After all she was a really serious person, or at least that's how Miku saw it.

No… that's not it… - started Miku but Luka interrupted her.

Then what is it?! Aren't you able to perform an easy task as this one if I don't supervise you? Are you going to neglect your job? Is this what you are telling me? – Luka was almost yelling.

No… please listen…

What? – Luka asked still angry.

I… can't leave you alone…

Huh? – Luka widened her eyes.

You have a fever right? – Miku looked away.

But I'll be fine… - Answered Luka, her eyes still winded due to Miku's affirmation.

B… but… I won't be able to concentrate in my job if you are like this… you have a really high fever, Megurine-senpai… I know I'll… I'll go make okayu* (*rice porridge)! – Exclamed Miku determined.

Miku-chan… wait! – Miku left the room before she could hear Luka, who ended up lying in the bed and sighing, she didn't know Miku could be so stubborn.

Miku walked across the hallway, she was determined this time, she could be neglecting her job, but she wanted to take care of Luka no matter what, she wanted to become closer to her, for some reason. Miku arrived at the main room where she found the monk:

Good morning. – She bowed.

Good morning to you too. – Answered the monk politely.

Could I please use the kitchen? Megurine-senpai got sick and… I'd like to make okayu for her… - Said the girl nervously.

Oh, that sound really bad, yes of course you can use the kitchen. – replied the monk, with a worried expression.

Miku rushed to the kitchen, she wasn't very got at cooking but she could handle such an easy thing as okayu, so she took out the ingredients and prepared it carefully. She then put the okayu in a plate and took it to their room, she kneed and opened the door, the placed the food near Luka, who was fast asleep.

Oh… she's sleeping. – thought Miku, but the smell of the okayu woke Luka up, who looked at Miku with an apologetic expression and a bit sleepy.

I… made you okayu…

Thank you… - Said Luka as she got up and took the spoon in her hands, she seemed really moved by Miku's actions.

I umm… - Miku suddenly touched Luka's forhead. – As I thought, it's higher than before…

Umm… yeah… - Answered Luka.

You know… actually… - Miku started as Luka was eating. – The old lady that asked you for yamazake yesterday was probably… a yamazake-babaa…

Yamazake-babaa, what do you mean? – Asked Luka surprised.

Well… I've read that they are old ladies that ask for yamazake… and… in case you give them they cast some kind of curse on you that makes you sick… they are a type of yokai* (*Japanese mythical creature, deity).

Oh… you surely know lots of stuff about literature… - Said Luka.

Well… I like classic literature… I thought that it was just a coincidence, but after yesterday's events I can't believe it's unreal…

I see… - Answered Luka, she seemed really tired.

I know… cedar tea can cure you… but I need to find cedar leaves…

Okay… - Luka was almost falling asleep.

Umm… I'll be leaving now…

Miku got up and opened the door, leaving Luka behind her. She had to find cedar leaves, or else Luka could be in serious danger. Hopefully since Shinto shrines are always built in forests there were plenty of trees around so Miku just got out and picked some trees from a tree nearby. The sound of the water and the wind made the scenery seem very calm. Miku suddenly remember how she used to play with Tako-chan every day, Tako-chan was such a sweet girl… as opposed to Megurine Luka. But, Miku still liked her.

Hi there, do you have any problem? – Cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts and she widened her eyes upon seeing a short haired blonde girl.

Oh, no umm… I was just… spacing out…

Hmm… so you are the kind of type to space out… I bet you are in love… - Said the girl mischievously.

Uh… no that's not it… I just have something to do… - Miku tried to explain.

Well, not that I care. My name's Rin, Kagamine Rin. And you are…

Hatsune Miku…

So Miku-san, huh? Oh right! You are one of those journalists!

Umm… yes…

Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around for some decent amount of time, then. – Rin said cheerfully. – I hope you meet my brother too, next time. – She added.

O… okay…

See you! – The girl said, and then left running cheerfully towards the woods.

Miku didn't really care about that so she went back to the room to find Luka who was screaming in pain. Miku panicked, she tried to calm her down, but she left the room rapidly and headed to the kitchen, where she prepared the cedar tea as quickly as she could. By the time she was in the room again, Luka couldn't move from the terrible headache she was having , Miku handed her the cup of tea and Luka smelled it , before drinking a bit, and even though it was just a bit, her headache became lighter instantly.

Umm… do you feel better? – Asked Miku.

Yes… what did you do Miku-chan?

Oh, that… I read it in the book too…

Oh… - Luka kept drinking. – Thank you, you truly saved me.

Oh umm… no, it was my pleasure… - Miku responded with a shy simle on her face, Luka couldn't help but smile as well, then she changed her expression to a more serious and sad one.

But… I'm sorry Miku-chan… for getting mad at you before… - Luka apologized.

Oh, it's okay… please forget about it… I didn't make myself clear so…

No. – Luka interrupted. – What can I do to compensate? – Miku's eyes widened, she didn't know Luka could be serious in something else other that her job.

Well… I guess… you could tell me what your favorite food is.

Huh? Just that? – Luka seemed baffled.

Well… yes…

Hmm… okay… Tuna and I suppose…

Octopus too right? – Interrupted Miku at that moment Luka looked at Miku really surprised by her words and there was an awkward silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Luka kept staring at Miku, surprised but and confused at the same time.

"How do you know?" She finally asked.

"Umm… actually…" started Miku while Luka was looking at her, eyes widened – I think we have met before… - Said Miku bashfully. But, Luka didn't seem to understand what the girl was talking about.

"Wait… you mean you know me?" She asked concerned.

"Yes… ummm… you know… you are Tako-chan…" Said Miku, blushing timidly.

"Yeah… I was…" responded Luka with a rather confused expression. "But who are you?" She asked as if she was feeling guilty for something.

"Well… you used to call me… Pigtails…"

"Hey… I'm sorry Miku-chan but… I suffered an accident that summer and I lost some of my memories… so I don't remember you clearly… All this time I have been thinking that you were part of some kind of dream… or actually nightmare I had before waking up and losing my memory."

"Wait… umm… what accident was that?" Asked Miku, confused.

"Well… I'll tell you everything I remember." Luka looked at the fresh tatami with a bitter expression in her eyes.

"O… okay..." Miku responded, determined and curious at the same time.

"I'm not sure…" started Luka "But it was probably after you left… actually some minutes after… Because I remember seeing your face somewhere near the beach… you know the beach right?"

"Yes, that rocky beach that had this creepy aura…" stated Miku.

"Yes, that one. I only remember seeing your face, you must have been crying but I'm not sure…" continued Luka. She was right, that afternoon, Miku was crying because she was sad that she wouldn't see Luka for a long time.

"After you left I wandered alone in the rocky surface of the beach, it started getting dark, but as I was about to go home I saw this cave and decided to enter… When I entered all I remember is hearing voices calling me and telling me to drawn in the sea. Then I saw three women dressed in white, they were pale as snow, but they seemed to be in an extremely bad condition. There was no color in their lips, their inflamed eyes had bags under them and their fingers were long… They almost seemed like a corpse." Miku felt a shivery sensation in her back as Luka said that. She knew what she was talking about; after all she had read books about it… "The next thing I remember is being drowned in the sea, and waking up in the cave with my clothes all wet, surrounded my various relatives of mine… I had a cold for some days but I still can't remember clearly what happened that night. Not only that… but I also suffered from amnesia, mysteriously; I forgot most of the events that took place in that village. Everyone said it was a dream and that I had imagined…"

"No!" interrupted Miku suddenly. "I'm sure you didn't imagine it!" she said determined, looking at Luka straight in the eye.

"What… do you mean?" Asked Luka baffled.

"Megurine-senpai, that wasn't a dream or delusion, it was real, I'm sure about it now. After today's event I realized that the supernatural world does really exist hidden somewhere in our own world. Ancient books reveal what all these creatures are. What you saw was probably a funayurei… a ghost of someone who died at the sea…" Miku said with an expression that made her seem really wise.

"You think so…?" Luka asked if she was seeking comfort from the younger girl. Miku took hold of Lukas hands and raised them up, looking at her with a very determined expression. Luka widened her eyes and then giggled leaving Miku with a baffled expression in her eyes, but then she laughed too.

"You must know how I used to like the sea, right?" Luka asked with a resentful smile.

"Umm… yes…"

Luka laughed, it seemed that she was laughing at herself.

"Umm… actually… Luka-senpai… can I call you like that…?" asked Miku a bit embarrassed.

"Uh, sure… if you let me call you Miku..." Luka tried to look indifferent.

"Yes." Miku replied happily. "You know… where you on a boat or anything that day?"

"No… I don't remember being on any boat…"

"Oh, okay." Miku had read that funayurei would try to sink a boat by pouring water into it, but in Luka's case maybe it had happened differently.

The next day Miku woke up and Luka was already scribbling in her notebook as always, she sighed and got up.

"Good morning, Luka-senpai." Miku said.

"Good morning, Miku." Luka answered. They surely seemed closer now that they had started calling each other by their first names. "Well, today it's time for some expedition work." Luka remarked with a smile.

"Yes!" Replied Miku excited.

Both girls got out of the shrine, Luka smiled at Miku and reached her hand out to her, Miku held it hesitantly and so they wandered in the forest. There were many trees, especially pine trees. The walking until reaching the depths of the forest, and then, at some moment Miku saw Luka's hand pointing somewhere in front of them. Miku looked at that direction and there she saw a large tree, it was extremely thick and tall, but what was most outstanding about it was the Shinto rope tied around it and the papers that were hanging from that rope. "It's called Shimenawa" pointed Luka at the rope with a smile. A strong wind blew and the branches of the tree moved making a sound that caused Miku to widen her eyes.

"Ehem…" Luka coughed purposely.

"Umm… what is it?" Miku asked surprised.

"Well, I want to see you writing your thoughts down about this tree! Now hurry up because after that we have to get back to the room and convert them into an article that would be enough catchy for someone to read!" Luka stated strictly.

"Yes, ma'am." Miku responded, taking her notebook out of her bag.

"This will be your first test." Remarked Luka but then she saw a blonde girl running cheerfully towards their direction.


	5. Chapter 5

The girl run towards them quickly and waved at Miku, Miku surprised, put her notebook inside her bag.

"Hello… Rin-chan?" She said awkwardly.

"Hello, Miku-san, is this your journalist senpai friend?" Rin asked looking at Luka.

"Umm… yes…" answered Miku bashfully.

"I'm Megurine Luka." Said Luka while at Rin a bit coldly. "And you are?"

"Oh, I am Kagamine-Rin." Answered the girl with a smile, Luka looked away and said:

"Is there something you need?"

"No, no, nothing, I just happened to see Miku-san here so I decided to come." Rin answered.

"By the way Rin-chan…" Miku asked suddenly. "Is there anything you could tell us about this tree? It has a shimenawa rope so that means it a kodama*(*a spirit that resides inside trees) must live inside it, it's quite amazing I think…" Miku smiled and looked at the tree. "Yeah, it's really gorgeous." Luka looked at Miku a bit surprised when she heard her saying those words. She could feel that she had seen that expression again, she didn't remember anything clearly but she could tell that probably Miku and she had been good friends.

"Hmm… let's see…" said Rin faking a serious expression. "I think this tree must be around 500 years old."

"Oh, I see…" Answered Miku while she was taking notes of what Rin said. "Also, what is your personal opinion about it?" Miku asked curious.

"Nothing important, really, it's really big and you can rest near it… I guess it ideal for picnics too… Though I never had one here before now that I think of it…" Rin continued while Miku wrote everything down diligently.

"That's very useful information, thank you, Rin-chan." Miku smiled at Rin, closing her notebook. Luka looked at them and then at the tree. She closed her eyes and recalled what she couldn't before. There were many blurry thoughts in her mind about Miku. She remembered how they used to play in the forest, how they collected herbs together and also mushrooms.

"Hey, Tako-chan, look I got a very big mushroom!" She remembered Miku's voice telling her while she waved the mushroom in the air.

"Silly, that's poisonous." Luka said to Miku while hitting her head lightly. Miku looked at her a bit sad.

"Then maybe we should look for another one…" Miku said looking at the ground, depressed. Luka was guessed that the last time she saw Miku must have been when she was thirteen and she did at least remember that they met every summer in that town since their parents were from there. Maybe the fact that she had just met Miku after such a long time was making her remember. But then, suddenly a voice interrupted Luka's train of thought and she looked at her right.

"Hey, Rin I was looking for you…" a male voice has complained. It was a blonde teenage boy about the same height as Miku, maybe just a bit taller and he looked exactly the same as the girl Luka had just met.

"Oh, Len! Glad you came! I must present you these girls! They are Miku and Luka, and they're journalists, they're going to write about our town!" Rin exclaimed excited to Len.

"Uh, hi I'm Len." He said as if he was overwhelmed by Rin's energetic attitude.

"Hello." Luka said rather indifferently.

"Umm… nice to meet you." Miku said shyly.

"Well, Rin we have to leave now, dad's looking for you! You still haven't done your homework, have you?" Len said a bit angry, taking Rin by the hand and leaving.

"Good bye." Said Len.

"Ah… well, I guess I'll see you later, girls." Rin said with an uneasy smile looking at them as she left with her brother.

"Hmph, what a nuisance." Luka said when they were finally gone and Miku laughed uncomfortably causing Luka to glare at her. "Well, that's enough, let's go back and have you write the article."

When they got back to their room, Luka brought some refreshments and sat in the tatami, ordering Miku to take out her portable PC and write the article. The girl quickly opened her bag, took out her small computer and switched it on. After that she started writing, this is what she wrote:

_The Kodama Tree of the Town_

_Today we had the pleasure to visit one of the most famous views of this town, a Kodama tree of about 500 years old, as one of the girls in town told us. This extremely thick and tall plan gives an unique aura to the shrine and the town generally, it's leaves gently waving in the wind of the spring. It would be unfair not to mention the shimenawa rope tied around it, symbolizing it's great importance. It is known that every tree that hosts a Kodama must be decorated with this rope, mainly for identification. It would be terrible if a Kodama tree was cut down, as it can bring great misfortune. Furthermore the fragrance and sound of the forest make it so magical that it almost makes you wonder about the supernatural world that is beyond our sight. Finally, as we were again told by the same girl this tree seems idea for picnics. Imagine, just sitting under that tree eating your bento (* Japanese lunch inside a lunch box), doesn't it feel soothing?_

"Okay, done!" Miku smiled turning her PC towards Luka who started at the screen while she was eating a croissant, though Miku had only noticed the refreshments before.

"Not, bad." Luka said after swallowing, still looking at the screen, then she looked at Miku. "Okay, okay, save it we're going to use that along with this one I wrote about the forest… and some pictures we have taken." She said in a serious tone, as always. Then laid in the tatami, and looked at the ceiling. "How about that red cloud, Miku, what do you think, it was?" Miku was surprised to hear Luka saying that.

"Umm… I don't really know…" she started. "But if I had to guess… I would say someone must be quite angered for some reason…" she said a bit insecure.

"You think so?" Luka asked a bit curious.

"Well… you know, I think that we shouldn't really write about that, whoever was responsible for that phenomenon must not really want us to reveal this secret, that is what I think…" Miku remarked without looking at Luka directly.

"Hmm… well… okay." Luka said and smiled at Miku while the later one looked at her surprised. Luka extended her arms and stroked Miku's head, gently, while Miku was blushing intensely. She seemed to be getting extremely nervous. Luka pouted, and then she sat behind Miku, hugging her. Miku's ears became completely red and she could feel them burning as if she had stayed near the fireplace for a very long time. Luka's expression was a bit hesitant and she was blushing too, just a bit. She then started caressing Miku's stomach and Miku didn't dare to utter a word while she was doing so, Luka even wondered if the girl was actually breathing. Luka looked at her, worried.

"Is there something wrong, Miku?" She asked.

"Why are you doing this?" Asked Miku without looking at her and Luka's eyes widened, she wasn't actually able to give an answer.

"I'm sorry, did you dislike it?" She thought she would just apologize to Miku since the girl seemed quite uneasy.

"No, that's not it… but I wouldn't like it if you were just… doing this to kill time, or make fun of my reaction…" Said Miku slowly without looking at Luka, she was really embarrassed. Luka caressed Miku's shoulder.

"Huh? Who said that, you dummy?" Luka looked at Miku a bit mad and hit her forehead with her finger. "Geez… as if I was going to play with you… do I seem like that kind of person, now, tell me!" Luka looked at Miku directly. Miku looked at Luka surprised and then turned towards her and hugged her.

"Okay…" she said with a light smile of relief.


	6. Chapter 6

"…ku…"

"…iku…"

"Miku!" Miku suddenly heard a voice calling her name. Her eyes widened, she had been spacing out for a long time. "Miku, how much time do you plan on staying like this?" continued the voice with rather annoyance. It was Luka, Miku didn't remember how much time she been clinging to her, she had completely spaced out. "Hey, Miku let go off me!" Luka glared at Miku "geez, she can be so cold…" Miku thought.

"I'm… I'm sorry… I kind of got distracted" Miku smiled uncomfortably while blushing, Luka frowned and looked away while blushing too

"Is she a tsundere* or something?" thought Miku a bit surprised I don't really remember Tako-chan being a tsundere… she was strict though. (*girl who switches moods, but is usually short tempered when she gets embarrassed in order to hide her it).

"Actually, Luka senpai… this might sound really weird… but I was wondering… if we could go to the forest again to check something? I'm sorry I didn't think about it later." Miku said shyly.

"Yes, what is it?" Luka asked in a serious tone.

"Well… there is this mythical tree that is called jimmenju… I was wondering if we would be able to find it in the forest, even though it's supposed to grow somewhere in China…" Miku remarked.

"Well, whatever, I don't care… I was thinking of what we should do so since you have an idea… that's perfect, that's what we'll do. At worse, we are going to end up going to town to see what's there." Said Luka kind of indifferently and got u. "Come on, let's go." She ordered Miku in a bossy tone.

Both girls got out of the shrine; they crossed the Toori and headed to the forest once again. The walked and walked, the sky got cloudy and Miku looked at it a bit worried, they were kind of far now.

"It looks like it's going to rain…" Miku said slowly remaining a bit behind, Luka looked at her.

"It's okay I don't think it's going to start…" Luka couldn't complete her phrase and it already started raining slightly, Luka looked at the rain quite mad and continued walking.

"Ah… wait!" Miku's worried voice could be heard. Miku thought that Luka was probably mad because now she wouldn't be able to write in her notebook. Miku was kind of glad about that though. Luka walked ahead of Miku and the rain started getting heavy quickly, Miku already felt cold. The girl run until reaching Luka, she held her sleeve and looked at her with puppy eyes, Luka looked at her a bit nervously.

"What… what do you want Miku?" She asked a bit hesitantly, trying to sound polite probably.

"What should we do Luka-senpai? It's so cold; shouldn't we find a shelter from the rain?" Asked Miku a bit confused.

"There isn't anything like that here…" Luka said straightforwardly while wiping off the water from her face.

"Then let's hide under that tree." Miku said with a serious but rather funny expression while pointing at one tree.

"Well… okay…" Luka responded. They both went under a large tree, it wasn't any sacred tree but it seemed like one.

"I wonder how people distinguish between trees that have kodama and trees that do not…" Miku said.

"Maybe we should find out." Luka remarked while she was writing it down on her notebook.

"I'll ask the priest tomorrow… I think that they are the ones who put the shimenawa ropes in the trees…" Miku said with a smile while looking at the rain.

"Sure. I'm going to start a small project on the building of the shrine. I think I must make some interviews to the visitors… how about that?"

"Umm… but they go there to pray… wouldn't that disturb them?" Miku asked curious.

"I'll ask them after they are done." Luka remarked. "Well, what is that jimmenju tree you were talking about anyway?" Luka asked with a strict tone.

"Well, it's a tree that has fruits… and they are umm… like faces and they speak too!" Miku exclaimed.

"Oh, I would be really creeped out if I saw something like that…" Luka answered rather indifferently, as if she wasn't serious about what she was saying, even though she was.

Two hours passed, however the rain didn't cease, it's sounds got stronger and stronger and Miku was already sneezing. It was dingy.

"Let's go back." Luka said, then, she took Miku's hand and started walking. Miku's eyes widened. They walked for some minutes; however Luka didn't seem to be able to find the way to the shrine. Then, suddenly Miku spotted a cemetery. She dragged Luka there, claiming that they might be able to find someone to show them the way home. Miku happily jumped until she reached some tombs; however, Luka was already shivering, though Miku didn't notice. She was quite excited and Luka looked at her with a very weird expression until Miku noticed.

"Luka-senpai… is there something wrong?" She asked innocently.

"If there is something wrong you say… you're creeping me out with that smile! How can you smile like that in a place like this?! At an hour like this!?" Remarked Luka nervously but also angered. She wasn't being the same calm Luka as always.

"Umm… I'm sorry, I guess it's disrespectful to the dead." Miku said, feeling guilty, looking at the ground. Luka looked at her really puzzled.

"Miku… that's not it…" Luka said, finally.

"Umm… it isn't?" Asked Miku confused.

"You're just being creepy, if you smile like that…" Luka said.

"O-Oh… I… I didn't notice, sorry…" Miku smiled shly.

"Well, let's… let's keep going." Luka said, still shivering a bit. Miku finally somehow seemed to notice it, but she figured out it might be her body having random reactions. They kept walking, trying to find a shelter but suddenly a yell was heard, it was very high pitched. Miku yelled too, she was very jumpy, but after yelling she seemed rather calm.

"What was that?" She asked to herself, looking at the sky pensive. Then she suddenly felt something in her arm, she looked to her right and there she saw Luka clinging to her, trembling in fear. "Umm… Luka-senpai, what are you doing?" Miku asked rather surprised and curious.

"No… nothing!" Luka exclaimed nervously as she let Miku's arm go.

"Umm… could it be that you are sc-" Miku couldn't finish her phrase and was interrupted by Luka.

"No way! Of course not!" Luka exclaimed.

"O… okay…" Miku answered.

"Kyaaaa!"

"Huh? Eh? What?" Miku asked, looking at Luka who was once again shivering and pointing at something in front of her. "What is it?" Miku looked at where Luka was indicating, there was a pale woman standing there, dressed with white robes, her long straight black hair covering her face, she reached her hand to the girls, it was wrinkled, skeletal, dirty and wet, probably from the rain. Luka looked at it terrified, but Miku managed to gather courage she held her back with both of her hands.

"Is there something you want?" She asked, keeping a wary eye on the woman. The woman didn't answer and grabbed Miku from the hand, pressing it. But Miku didn't hold back.

"Luka-senpai, are you okay?" She asked Luka, determined.

"Y… yeah…" Luka answered nervously.

Suddenly a pair of bizarre blue clouds appeared to be floating around of the woman. Instantly Miku looked at her feet and there she saw it, exactly what she was expecting the woman didn't have any! Luka looked at them too and froze, Miku held her hand reassuringly. She opened her bag and took out a piece of paper, there was something written on it.

"Hyaa!" Miku rapidly placed the paper on the woman's forehead with her two fingers and the woman banished. Luka looked at Miku, her eyes widened, Miku was panting.

"Miku… are you okay?" Luka asked worried.

"Yes, just a bit tired." Miku managed to smile, Luka had a worried smile on her face, but she hugged Miku softly. "It must have been scary for you… you must have remembered that event… right?" Miku asked.

"Umm… well… yeah, I guess it's true…" Luka said a bit embarrassed. Then Miku suddenly fell to the ground. "Miku! Miku!"

"…iku…"

"Miku." Miku opened her eyes, she was in the room, at the shrine, she was under the futon and had a wet cloth in her forehead, she had caught a cold. Surprisingly enough Luka didn't catch one; she carried Miku all the way to the shrine and now she was sitting beside her, looking worried.

"Miku… you woke up… that's a relief…" Luka sighed.

"Oh… umm…" Miku blushed and Luka looked away, blushing too, trying to seem tough. "Luka-senpai…" She asked with puppy eyes.

"What?" Luka asked a bit coldly, which made Miku kind of hesitant but she continued anyway.

"Can I hold your hand?" She finally asked. Luka took hold of Miku's hand with both her hands.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way to nurse you back to health as soon as possible." Luka smiled and caressed Miku's head then she stop and Miku looked at her resigned.

"Why… did you stop?" She pouted. Luka widened her eyes and then smiled, she placed her hand on Miku's head once again and kept caressing her.

"Luka-senpai… will you stay here with me?" Miku asked worried.

"Yes, sure." Luka responded, still caressing her head. "I won't leave." Miku took Luka's hand and put it under the futon, holding it tightly. Then she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Gumi-sama!" called the tanuki as soon as they arrived. He had explained to the girls that Gumi was the actual "leader of the town. She was the older being that lived there and she knew everything that took place in town, she was a very powerful kodama.

A green haired girl, she looked like a young, about Miku's age. Also she was a bit translucent, probably because she was a spirit. She was wearing quite modern clothes for such an old kodama. But then again, kodama were probably a lot different that humans. Gumi widened her eyes.

"What's wrong, tanuki-san?" She asked surprised.

"We have come to ask you about a murderer living in this town…" started the elder; Miku widened her eyes, had the murderer been right in front of their eyes all this time?

"M… murderer?" Gumi widened her eyes. "Ah… that…" she looked at the ground with a sorrowful expression in her eyes. Miku was waiting for the answer to be revealed but Gumi didn't speak.

"What is it?" Luka asked coldly.

"It's not that simple…" Gumi said sad. "It's not like it is a murderer…"

"Eh?" Miku was confused; she had thought that someone had a grudge against her mother and her family. "Didn't someone hate my mother or something like that…? Didn't someone murder her…?" Asked the girl confused.

"It didn't happen exactly like that, Miku-chan." Gumi said a bit uneasy. "It's true that they did indeed murder your mother but there is nothing you can do… and I'm not sure I should intervene with this. This is a rare situation in all these years I have been protecting the town… hmm…" Gumi didn't seem to know how to put it.

"Will you tell us or not? Miku is waiting! I am waiting! We have to appease her mother's spirit!" Luka yelled at Gumi who widened her eyes.

"You shouldn't be disrespectful toward Gumi-sama." The elder glared at Luka.

"I… It's okay…" Gumi laughed uncomfortably, looking at Miku who ended up laughing too. They could tell that Luka and the elder didn't really get along. "Well, given the circumstances." Gumi started. "Since it is in order to appease a spirit, I guess I shall make an exception and tell you how everything happened". Gumi sat in the ground without getting dirty and closed her eyes. "It was a cold winter… Miku's mother went out on a walk. She was a happy woman." She started. "She took a boat and rowed it in the sea… that's when suddenly a beautiful woman with white hair sank her boat. She couldn't do anything to help herself and as a result was drowned…" Gumi finished the story quickly and looked at Miku who seemed to understand what this was about.

"So the murderer was a ghost… a funayurei…?" Miku asked curious.

"Precisely." Gumi responded. "And because a funayurei can reincarnate if it sinks someone's boat… A girl was reincarnated in this town. That's the girl. Her name is Ia and she is ten years old. But please do not harm her." Gumi stated worried. "It's true that her ghost has done horrible things in the past but now… she is just living a happy life. I don't wish for her to ever know anything about this…"

"Oh no! I would never… do such a thing." Miku remarked a bit surprised and maybe even offended.

"Yeah… but this Gumi girl has yet to tell us how to appease Miku's mother's spirit…" Luka said causing the tanuki to look at her with a menacing expression once again.

"A that…" Gumi seemed a bit uncomfortably… "I'm not really... sure…"

"This girl's an airhead!" It seemed to be getting at Luka's nerves. Miku laughed uncomfortably.

"It's my mother, Gumi-sama… please any advice would be helpful…" Miku pleaded.

"Ah well… let's see…" Gumi tried to think hard, or so it seemed. "Why don't you just try talking to her or something?" She just seemed to be saying the first thing that came to her mind.

"Umm… okay… How about the red clouds that we saw in the shrine? What do they mean?" Miku asked curious. Gumi widened her eyes.

"I don't know." She answered bluntly, with a smile. Everyone was left with their mouths hanging open, even the elder tanuki. "Just kidding." Gumi smiled. Then her expression turned serious. "It's been happening a lot the last ten years… I'm sure it's greatly connected to your mother. There is a great chance her spirit wanted to take revenge on Ia… Actually I suspect her spirit is here, with us now." Stated Gumi and Miku widened her eyes once again. She had not thought of that at all. "But I guess you'll only find her near the sea, so you must head to the beach, it's not really far… Maybe you should talk to the priest about it…"

"Ah, okay! Thank you very much, Gumi-sama!" Miku smiled.

"I'm glad to have been able to be of some help." Gumi bowed. "Now, I'll be taking my leave." Gumi started fading away slowly and it seemed that once again, she returned deep inside her tree and prepared a cup of tea as she always would, along with some tanuki who had came to visit her.

"That's all." The tanuki smiled playfully.

"Thank you very much, tanuki-san!" Miku bowed and the tanuki left along his companions, getting lost from Miku's sight, deep in the forest.

"Now what?" Luka remarked coldly.

"Let's go and talk to the priest." Miku responded.

There was an awkward silence between the two girls as they were going upstairs in order to reach the shrine. Miku looked at Luka a bit resentfully but Luka didn't really notice her. It almost seemed as if they had returned to their previous relationship.

"Luka-senpai I…" started Miku "I umm… umm…" Luka didn't pay attention to her. Miku was blushing, unable to say what she intended to say. "I… I… really like you…" She finally said. "I just wanted to tell you! I have always liked you, ever since we were young!" Then, Luka stopped and looked at Miku straight in the eyes. Her expression was slightly cold. But then again, that was Luka.

"Really?" Luka asked with a bitter tone in her voice.

"Yes…" Answered Miku a bit baffled. Luka came closer to Miku and brought their foreheads together, then their noses brushed against each other and Luka just kissed Miku on the forehead and stepped back.

"How much do you love me?" She asked.

"Very much." Miku answered innocently but at the same time a bit embarrassed, probably due to what Luka had just done.

"I see." Luka smiled at Miku who was still a bit baffled. "I guess you are fine for me too. Uhh… let's say that you were the last person in the world. Then I'd probably marry you." Luka smiled wisely leaving Miku speechless. She just blushed and followed Luka until they reached the shrine.

"Umm… Luka-senpai… the priest, let's go." The both headed to where the priest was, luckily he was outside, taking a walk.

"There is something we need to talk with you about." Started Luka and then had Miku explain the situation to the priest. After hearing their story he decided to make one of his apprentices accompany them as their mission might result being dangerous. However he reassured them that everything should be fine with his apprentice. His apprentice was a young man named Kaito, he was a very kind boy and he would gladly help anyone, it was almost his hobby.

"Hello, I'm Kaito, you can call me Kaito." The blue haired man smiled at the girls. Luka didn't seem to be really fond of him, though they both greeted him and then headed to the beach. They reached deserted beach and Kaito set up a boat for them. The three of them got in and Kaito rowed it by pushing the poles that were attached to the sides…


	8. Chapter 8

"Gumi-sama!" called the tanuki as soon as they arrived. He had explained to the girls that Gumi was the actual "leader of the town. She was the older being that lived there and she knew everything that took place in town, she was a very powerful kodama.

A green haired girl, she looked like a young, about Miku's age. Also she was a bit translucent, probably because she was a spirit. She was wearing quite modern clothes for such an old kodama. But then again, kodama were probably a lot different that humans. Gumi widened her eyes.

"What's wrong, tanuki-san?" She asked surprised.

"We have come to ask you about a murderer living in this town…" started the elder; Miku widened her eyes, had the murderer been right in front of their eyes all this time?

"M… murderer?" Gumi widened her eyes. "Ah… that…" she looked at the ground with a sorrowful expression in her eyes. Miku was waiting for the answer to be revealed but Gumi didn't speak.

"What is it?" Luka asked coldly.

"It's not that simple…" Gumi said sad. "It's not like it is a murderer…"

"Eh?" Miku was confused; she had thought that someone had a grudge against her mother and her family. "Didn't someone hate my mother or something like that…? Didn't someone murder her…?" Asked the girl confused.

"It didn't happen exactly like that, Miku-chan." Gumi said a bit uneasy. "It's true that they did indeed murder your mother but there is nothing you can do… and I'm not sure I should intervene with this. This is a rare situation in all these years I have been protecting the town… hmm…" Gumi didn't seem to know how to put it.

"Will you tell us or not? Miku is waiting! I am waiting! We have to appease her mother's spirit!" Luka yelled at Gumi who widened her eyes.

"You shouldn't be disrespectful toward Gumi-sama." The elder glared at Luka.

"I… It's okay…" Gumi laughed uncomfortably, looking at Miku who ended up laughing too. They could tell that Luka and the elder didn't really get along. "Well, given the circumstances." Gumi started. "Since it is in order to appease a spirit, I guess I shall make an exception and tell you how everything happened". Gumi sat in the ground without getting dirty and closed her eyes. "It was a cold winter… Miku's mother went out on a walk. She was a happy woman." She started. "She took a boat and rowed it in the sea… that's when suddenly a beautiful woman with white hair sank her boat. She couldn't do anything to help herself and as a result was drowned…" Gumi finished the story quickly and looked at Miku who seemed to understand what this was about.

"So the murderer was a ghost… a funayurei…?" Miku asked curious.

"Precisely." Gumi responded. "And because a funayurei can reincarnate if it sinks someone's boat… A girl was reincarnated in this town. That's the girl. Her name is Ia and she is ten years old. But please do not harm her." Gumi stated worried. "It's true that her ghost has done horrible things in the past but now… she is just living a happy life. I don't wish for her to ever know anything about this…"

"Oh no! I would never… do such a thing." Miku remarked a bit surprised and maybe even offended.

"Yeah… but this Gumi girl has yet to tell us how to appease Miku's mother's spirit…" Luka said causing the tanuki to look at her with a menacing expression once again.

"A that…" Gumi seemed a bit uncomfortably… "I'm not really... sure…"

"This girl's an airhead!" It seemed to be getting at Luka's nerves. Miku laughed uncomfortably.

"It's my mother, Gumi-sama… please any advice would be helpful…" Miku pleaded.

"Ah well… let's see…" Gumi tried to think hard, or so it seemed. "Why don't you just try talking to her or something?" She just seemed to be saying the first thing that came to her mind.

"Umm… okay… How about the red clouds that we saw in the shrine? What do they mean?" Miku asked curious. Gumi widened her eyes.

"I don't know." She answered bluntly, with a smile. Everyone was left with their mouths hanging open, even the elder tanuki. "Just kidding." Gumi smiled. Then her expression turned serious. "It's been happening a lot the last ten years… I'm sure it's greatly connected to your mother. There is a great chance her spirit wanted to take revenge on Ia… Actually I suspect her spirit is here, with us now." Stated Gumi and Miku widened her eyes once again. She had not thought of that at all. "But I guess you'll only find her near the sea, so you must head to the beach, it's not really far… Maybe you should talk to the priest about it…"

"Ah, okay! Thank you very much, Gumi-sama!" Miku smiled.

"I'm glad to have been able to be of some help." Gumi bowed. "Now, I'll be taking my leave." Gumi started fading away slowly and it seemed that once again, she returned deep inside her tree and prepared a cup of tea as she always would, along with some tanuki who had came to visit her.

"That's all." The tanuki smiled playfully.

"Thank you very much, tanuki-san!" Miku bowed and the tanuki left along his companions, getting lost from Miku's sight, deep in the forest.

"Now what?" Luka remarked coldly.

"Let's go and talk to the priest." Miku responded.

There was an awkward silence between the two girls as they were going upstairs in order to reach the shrine. Miku looked at Luka a bit resentfully but Luka didn't really notice her. It almost seemed as if they had returned to their previous relationship.

"Luka-senpai I…" started Miku "I umm… umm…" Luka didn't pay attention to her. Miku was blushing, unable to say what she intended to say. "I… I… really like you…" She finally said. "I just wanted to tell you! I have always liked you, ever since we were young!" Then, Luka stopped and looked at Miku straight in the eyes. Her expression was slightly cold. But then again, that was Luka.

"Really?" Luka asked with a bitter tone in her voice.

"Yes…" Answered Miku a bit baffled. Luka came closer to Miku and brought their foreheads together, then their noses brushed against each other and Luka just kissed Miku o the forehead and stepped back.

"How much do you love me?" She asked.

"Very much." Miku answered innocently.

"I see." Luka smiled at Miku who was still a bit baffled. "I guess you are fine for me too. Uhh… let's say that you were the last person in the world. Then I'd probably marry you." Luka smiled wisely leaving Miku speechless. She just blushed and followed Luka until they reached the shrine.

"Umm… Luka-senpai… the priest, let's go." The both headed to where the priest was, luckily he was outside, taking a walk.

"There is something we need to talk with you about." Started Luka and then had Miku explain the situation to the priest. After hearing their story he decided to make one of his apprentices accompany them as their mission might result being dangerous. However he reassured them that everything should be fine with his apprentice. His apprentice was a young man named Kaito, he was a very kind boy and he would gladly help anyone, it was almost his hobby.

"Hello, I'm Kaito, you can call me Kaito." The blue haired man smiled at the girls. Luka didn't seem to be really fond of him, though they both greeted him and then headed to the beach. They reached deserted beach and Kaito set up a boat for them. The three of them got in and Kaito rowed it by pushing to pole that were attached to the sides…


	9. Afterward

"Mother, where are you?" Asked Miku confused and worried at the same time, Luka looked at her and then she just looked at the sea, it was calmer than ever. Kaito started reciting some sutras in order to appease the spirit and then left.

"I suppose there will be no problem now." Kaito smiled.

"Thank you very much for your help." Miku smiled back.

After that Kaito was gone he went up the stairs until reaching the shrine, though there were so many stairs that none of the girls did actually see him enter the shrine.

"So, should we ask Gumi?" Luka asked a bit indifferently.

"No, it will be okay." Miku closed her eyes. "I actually heard my mother… She called my name and then faded away…" she finally said.

"So… saw her?" Luka asked curious.

"Barely…" Miku smiled shyly. "I'm kind of happy…"

"Huh? That was pretty easy…" Luka remarked a bit arrogantly and Miku just laughed.

"I'm sorry, Luka-senpai…" Now Miku had a slightly sorrowful expression.

"What for?" Luka asked a bit confused.

"Well, my mother tried to kill you and all…"

"Ah… that… it's ok." Luka looked away. "It's not like it's your fault." Luka looked at Miku with a resigned smile.

"You know, Luka-senpai…" started Miku, causing Luka to look at her. "All the bizarre things that happened here… I'll never forget them. I think they are a… valuable experience. That they were able to teach me something." Miku looked at the sky with a smile on her face and Luka looked too, a bit baffled though, but she ended up smiling too.

"What did they teach you?" Luka finally asked.

"What? You say…" Said Miku surprised. "Well… I actually… have the ability to see spirits. But I just realized." Miku smiled. "Ever since I was young, there were sometimes I saw people that were "invisible" so umm… I never told anyone… I didn't really know what it was…"

"Ah… I could swear you used to stare at invisible stuff… yeah… So that was it." Luka remarked.

"Yeah…" Miku giggled and Luka smiled.

"Well, well, we better get going… It's our final day here. Unless you forgot." Luka smirked. Miku widened her eyes.

"I… I… totally forgot about that!" Miku panicked.

"Well, we still have time. Don't get all worked up." Luka patted Miku's shoulder.

After some time, they were already about to finish packing their things. Luka closed her bag and looked at Miku as if she wanted to do something, though she didn't really know what.

"Luka-senpai?" Miku asked confused. "Is something the matter?"

"No. Not really." Responded Luka indifferently.

They thanked the priest and walked towards the station, the train arrived. They got in. They sat. Miku was looking through the window. The train was almost empty. Luka looked at Miku, then at her feet then again and Miku and so on… Strangely enough there was an awkward silence. Though Miku didn't seem much bothered by that fact. She was just staring through the window… Suddenly, Luka clenched her fists and got up, looking at Miku straightforwardly (indifferently or over confident as Miku would say). "That's not like me" she thought and took Miku's hand, taking her to the end of the train, where they could see the rails. Miku widened her eyes.

"Here you can see better, you know." Luka remarked

"Umm… thank you." Miku responded.

"Huh, you're welcome." Luka smiled. Then suddenly Miku blushed, upon realizing she was still holding hands with Luka. The latter laughed.

"Ha! It took you some time to figure out!" Luka laughed playfully and Miku just looked away… "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you being all cold now?" She poked Miku's cheek. Maybe Miku liked it but she was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the same time. But then suddenly Miku something came up! Miku realized something else, something other than she was holding hands Luka. She widened her eyes. She had yet to read anything that Luka had written!

Days after, the magazine had been published. There was an entire section with articles written by Miku and Luka! Luka opened the door of her home while she was still holding the magazine. She took her shoes off and left them at the entrance. Immediately, she sat down and turned on the air conditioner after opening the magazine. Then, her black hat appeared, it was wearing a bell collar, it waved at Miku with its pawn and said "hi" with a funny voice. Miku had already grown used to this kind of behavior by her cat. Since she had come back, it would do all sorts of weird stuff. Miku just figured out it must be a bakeneko* (*cat yokai). She adjusted her glassed and started reading every single article, she was really focused, even more focused than Luka writing in her diary. Then, at the end was written Luka's pen name. "Takoyaki*" (*ball shaped octopus dish). Miku widened her eyes. She couldn't believe that there was yet another connection with her… It was simply incredible because Miku had always been a fan of her. She had even written anonymous letters to her and she had responded to her!

It had all begun when Miku was still in high school. One day she read an article on the Internet by certain young woman that was known as Takoyaki. Since that day she would always look forward to read new articles from her. She reminded her about Tako-chan and she also liked her rich vocabulary.

Miku had to eat something now, she felt suddenly hungry due to all the commotion. She went to the convenience store near her house to buy a bento* (*Japanese lunch box). She was on her way to the convenience store but then… She changed her mind. "Maybe I'll just go to a noddle bar" she thought. It was dark outside, it was a fine summer night and Miku felt like eating noodles. "Maybe udon* with tempura**" she thought (*thick noodles **different foods fried with flour and other ingredients). She got in the bar and sat, she ordered udon. She was eating happily when suddenly someone entered the empty bar, Miku looked behind her, feeling a bit curious. The girls in front of her widened her eyes and Miku coughed. It was Luka, Megurine Luka was in front of her. She sat next to Miku.

"Hey, I never thought I'd found you here…" Luka remarked.

"M… me neither." Miku smiled embarrassed.

"You okay?" Luka asked worried.

"Well…" Miku was panicking and eating her noodles frantically. After all her letters (e-mails) were not so anonymous, she was "AquaBubble" and she had used that same name in the magazine. Miku wanted the Earth to swallow her. She was just hoping Luka wouldn't have paid attention to that. The reason was simple. Luka was answering to her e-mails. One day she stated clearly though "You write as though this was a love letter or something, dear bubble girlie~"

"Hey." Luka said playfully as though she was singing. "Bubble girlie." Smiled Luka. Miku looked at her, then she freezed. Luka smirked. "Do… you… have… a… crush on… me?" Luka asked slowly causing Miku to start coughing while Luka was still smiling.

"Wha… what… I d… don't…" Miku couldn't utter a word. Luka nodded and then she started eating her noodles since they had just arrived.

Then they finished and got out, Miku was all flustered but Luka seemed quite cheerful. She took hold of Miku's hand. She wanted to take everything slowly. She didn't want Miku to freak out, Luka knew Miku was a bit shy and also they still needed time to get to know each other better. On the other side, Miku didn't know whether Luka was serious or whether she was joking but she was really excited and embarrassed at the same time to be close to Luka.

"Let's go to my home." Luka said.

They both sat on Luka's couch, watching some random documentary on the TV. Luka got up to make some coffee and Miku followed her. Luka looked at her and smiled. "What's wrong? You can't stay away from me?" She asked while pouring the coffee. Then she took another glass and poured lemon juice for Miku. They got back to the living room and sat in the couch. There was a small terrace and the doors leading to it were made of glass in front of them was the TV and then the couch. Luka sat closer to Miku who had been silent all the time Miku cuddled up next to her, holding her arm. Luka smiled pleasantly. She wasn't even paying attention to the documentary. When it finished though, it was late so Luka proposed that Miku stayed in her house. She got up and pressed something under the couch and the other side fell down transforming it into a bed, then she brought a blanket just in case. Miku was still sitting. Luka pushed her gently so that she laid down, she then laid next to her and hugged her.

"Do you feel uncomfortable?" Luka asked a bit worried.

"Just a bit." Miku responded.

"That before was a joke, you know." Luka smiled and then she laughed lightly. Of course, she wasn't lying; it had certainly been a joke. Though it wasn't like Luka didn't want to know whether Miku felt like that…

"Umm… I just feel a bit embarrassed that you know who I am… Umm… and umm… you are Takoyaki and I… I really… don't know what to… Umm…" Miku couldn't express herself. "I'm just embarrassed!" She suddenly said. Luka widened her eyes and then she started laughing, then Miku laughed too and everything seemed to return back to normality. Miku snuggled up with Luka and smiled broadly, she felt really safe and a peaceful feeling was surrounding her.

* * *

**This is kind of like an Afterward chapter, I'm not sure of whether I should do second one or not. If not then, this will be the end of the story since now it's kind of difficult to keep the supernatural things going on. I had to turn Miku's cat into a bakeneko...**


	10. Afterward 2

Miku was in her room, reading a book, she turned on the TV. Today there was a documentary about the shrine they had been. Miku placed her book on the desk and went to the kitchen to get some milk. It was still morning. Then, suddenly the phone rang. Miku went to pick it up.

"Hello?" She said rather shyly.

"Miku?" A female voice could be heard through the phone. It was undoubtedly Luka. Miku widened her eyes, and flustered, she remembered what had happened the last time she saw Luka.

"Miku? Are you there?" Luka asked concerned.

"Y… yes" Miku said while smiling uncomfortably.

Luka was lying in her couch, thinking about Miku. She didn't really know what to do. One thing was for sure. Luka had feelings for Miku, feelings of romantic love. But, how about Miku? What did she feel about Luka? Was she in love with her? Just confused? Curious? Was Miku's love completely platonic? Luka was thinking about all this until her stress took over her. She didn't know what to do! Confess or not confess? She needed more signs from Miku so, she had to identify them… and in order to do so… she had to see her so… "I'll just call her for now…" Luka thought.

Now Miku was one the subway, staring at her phone, it was 04:00 p.m, half an hour before her appointment with Luka. Or was it a date? "No way, no way!" Miku thought.

Then, Miku found herself waiting in front of the station. She looked at her watch. It was 4:26 p.m. Miku's heart skipped a beat. She sighed and waited patiently. She looked back at her watch. It was already 4:30 p.m. Miku widened her eyes and she started getting nervous. Luka would come anytime. Miku started looking around but there was any sign of Luka. Miku looked at the sky when suddenly; she felt a touch in her shoulder. She looked behind and there was Luka. Miku smiled and Luka smiled back.

"How have you been?" Luka asked.

"Umm… fine, and you?" Miku replied.

"Fine too." Luka smiled. She appeared to be calm, however, deep inside she was nervous and anxious. Luka was more insecure that what she appeared to be.

"You can do it!" Luka suddenly heard a voice behind her, she turned around. It was a cat, it waved its pawn and then it disappeared. Luka stared at it dumbfounded.

"Is everything okay, Luka-senpai?" Miku asked worried.

"Y… yes, I'm okay." Luka smiled uncomfortably. What had that just been?

After that, Miku suggested they go to a nice library cafeteria. It was like an old, elegant an even somehow gothic library where people could read any book they wanted and at the same time, drink their coffee or refreshment. They sat in one of the empty tables. It actually seemed that the place was really tranquil. Luka took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes then she left the cup in the table and stared right at Miku who blushed intensely in response. Luka knew that she wasn't feeling emotionally well and Miku was starting to take notice of that. "Luka-senpai are you okay?" "Luka-senpai, are you really okay?" she kept repeating. Luka didn't know what to do anymore. She took Miku by the hand (after paying) and ran. She reached a rooftop. Miku was baffled.

"Luka-senpai… what's this about?" She asked.

"I don't know, I don't know anymore, what should I do?" Luka said confused. Miku didn't understand. Luka proceeded.

"Okay, look." She held her shoulders. "I umm…" She let her shoulders go.

"What's wrong?" Miku asked, with a comforting smile. It probably gave strength lo Luka.

"Miku, I… at first didn't really care about you…"

"Umm… well… I think I knew… more or less…" Miku replied.

"But now, my feelings have changed." Luka said determined.

"I want to spend more time with you and… I want to be with you and… have you close to me." Miku blushed but Luka didn't hold back. "You can be a bit shy at first, but you are very caring and sweet and…" Luka said determined. Miku smiled timidly. "I love you, Miku." Luka finally said as the wind waved her hair.

"Umm… Umm… I love you too, Luka-senpai." Miku answered slightly confused and shy. Luka was left with her mouth hanging open.

"No, not like that…" she started. "I mean that I love you, you know, romantic love…" Luka said a bit embarrassed this time.

"Oh I get it." Miku said. "Eh? Wait… what? You l… l… love me?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Luka answered rather angrily.

"Oh… Uh… Umm… I… I am actually… confused about what I feel for you… I'm not really sure of whether… I… umm…" Miku stared at her feet.

"Oh, I get it." Luka smiled, a bit relieved that she wasn't at least rejected. "Well, will you tell me when you find out?" Luka asked.

"Y… yes I will… Could we… umm… go on da… dates…? I think that would help me to find it out…" Miku trembled.

"Yes, of course!" Luka answered cheerfully as she hugged Miku. Miku hugged Luka back and then smiled peacefully.

Once again they ended up in Luka's apartment, again her couch or bed. Miku was feeling uncomfortable again.

"Ah…" Luka sighed "I feel a déjà vu now…" She sat close to Miku and touched her cheek with a cold can of orange juice. Miku widened her eyes, causing Luka to giggle. It was a calm summer night, the door to the terrace was opened and the semi-transparent curtain was waving in the wind. It smelled like summer, or at least that's what Miku thought. "But how to explain how summer smells like?" she thought.

"Hey." Miku's thoughts were interrupted. Luka opened the can and poured some juice in the glass. Miku could hear the sound of the gas. "There is no point in being together if you feel so uncomfortable." Remarked Luka a bit sad, but at the same time trying to sound comforting in order to avoid pressuring Miku.

"Umm…" Miku couldn't say anything and Luka had already wrapped her arms around her.

"Hey, don't worry." Luka gave her a slightly sad smile. Miku put her hands over Luka's arms smiled. Luka touched Miku's cheek with the can again and Miku smiled her. Luka leaned a bit, and surprisingly enough Miku placed a kiss on Luka's cheek. The older girl blushed and then grinned.

* * *

**This is then end of the story. I hope you liked it. Maybe the end wasn't really interesting, but at least it had to end somehow... I just hope you found it relaxing... maybe...**


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